Fired Officer Says Christian Beliefs Prohibit Him From Training Women

A North Carolina man fired as a sheriff’s deputy after refusing to train a new female officer because of her gender alleges in a lawsuit he is a victim of religious discrimination.
Manuel Torres, an evangelical Christian and former Lee County sheriff’s deputy, asserts that his faith prohibits him from being alone with women who aren’t his wife ― which he said is exactly what would happen if he agreed to train a female deputy.
The 51-year-old is suing the Lee County’s Sheriff Office, claiming he was fired for asking to be exempt from training the woman.
The suit, filed in federal court in North Carolina on July 31, also names as defendants two other small towns Torres says subsequently denied him a job because of his religious beliefs about interacting with women. He seeks more than 300,000 in damages, as well as reinstatement by the sheriff’s office.

But did the job description say that the training would be one on one?

I think using religion as an excuse for this is a load of crap, BUT... men refusing to be alone with women in the workplace is on the rise, and understandably so. Me too movement, anyone? It's the Mike Pence Rule (IIRC, it was called the Billy Graham rule prior to Mike Pence popularizing it).

Frankly, I have no problem being alone with a female co-worker, so long as she meets the following criteria:

1. She's higher than me.
2. She's equal to me.
3. If she's lower, I have absolutely zero impact on her career progression, bonuses, etc - AND she's fully aware of this.

Thankfully, ALL women at my job meet one of those three criteria for now.

"Well... Uber's going to "driverless" cars soon, and their research probably shows that they're a natural fit (when it comes to getting paid for doing nothing)."
-Rainmaker, referencing black males

Correct, this type of thing was / is called the "Billy Graham" rule; VPOTUS uses it. Where I think the police officer is wrong (I’ll lose) is that the 'rule' isn't a tenant / requirement of the religion, but a practice used by some people to avoid issues of perception, indiscretion, accusations etc. similar to the practice of some LDS folks of not drinking soda, there is no doctrinal requirement ... the prohibition is on coffee and tea not caffeine specifically.

The most important six inches on the battlefield ... is between your ears.

Correct, this type of thing was / is called the "Billy Graham" rule; VPOTUS uses it. Where I think the police officer is wrong (I’ll lose) is that the 'rule' isn't a tenant / requirement of the religion, but a practice used by some people to avoid issues of perception, indiscretion, accusations etc. similar to the practice of some LDS folks of not drinking soda, there is no doctrinal requirement ... the prohibition is on coffee and tea not caffeine specifically.

What if it were doctrine? Or doctrine for a small sect?

...employing him may result in lack of equal opportunity for the women.

When a state employee, be they a clerk or police officer or hold any other employed position, is hired they take an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the State Constitution. Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution "...but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." In this case, the deputy is in effect imposing a religious test by using his religious beliefs to refuse to be alone with a woman during training.